Putin hands Chechnya control to militia leader

Ramzan Kadyrov, a former rebel fighter accused of widespread human rights abuses, took control of Chechnya yesterday after being elevated from prime minister to president of the war-ravaged Russian republic.

Kadyrov, 30, who controls a militia of thousands, owns a pet tiger and is said to have tortured one opponent with a blow torch, was promoted by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, late on Thursday. Mr Kadyrov's predecessor and long-time competitor, Alu Alkhanov, was ushered aside to a job the federal justice ministry.

The promotion marked a coup for a young tough who has transformed Grozny into a shrine to himself with his portrait gazing down from billboards on street corners. It followed months of rumours, and intense speculation in the past two weeks, but Mr Kadyrov's rise to acting president still provoked outrage among critics who accuse his armed units of beating, kidnapping and murdering suspected militants.

"This shows you Putin's contempt for the Chechens," said Usam Baysaev, an analyst with the human rights group Memorial. "A man with people around him that only know how to kill and torture has been handed the reins of power."

Friends of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, murdered in Moscow in October, suspect Mr Kadyrov's security forces were involved. He has denied it, saying: "I don't kill women." Two Chechens have reportedly been arrested over the killing.

Despite his fearsome reputation, many residents of Grozny yesterday said they were content with their new leader, credited with restoring swaths of the capital reduced to rubble by Russian bombs in 1994 and 2000. Apartment blocks near the city's Minutka roundabout that were riddled with shell holes last autumn are now restored and freshly painted.

While there must still be a new election after Mr Alkhanov's removal, few doubt that Mr Kadyrov will be pushed to the fore and receive genuine public support. "Look, there, a new school, there, new houses, over there a hospital, refurbished," said Apti, 39, a taxi driver and father of four waiting near Victory Prospekt in the centre of the city. "All of this happened under Ramzan. This year they will restore my two apartments that were destroyed. Should I be unhappy?" A middle-aged man said: "Two years ago the boyeviki [rebel fighters] were still shooting and blowing people up in the city. Now it's totally calm. I can't remember the last time there was a terrorist attack."

A significant minority, though, are perturbed by Mr Kadyrov's power and personality cult. The new president is not shy of showing off his fleet of Porsche Cayennes or his Ferrari in Moscow, or of being seen at elite boutiques or with glitterati friends at events like the Russian Millionaires Fair.

Such flamboyance grates in Chechnya where poverty is widespread. Statistics released yesterday show a quarter of Russia's officially unemployed live in the Muslim republic of one million. While most residents were too afraid to give their surnames, voices of dissent could still be heard yesterday on the back streets near Grozny's central market. "The Chechens are an egalitarian people, it's not in our tradition to elevate one above the rest," said Shamil, 37. "That's just idol worship," he added, pointing at a 7m billboard of Kadyrov with the slogan "We're proud of you!". Social worker Zarema, 24, said: "Everyone knows that his men take a cut from state wages to pay for all these new buildings."

Mr Kadyrov has denied accusations of corruption and human rights abuses, saying he is a patriot who only wants peace for his people. He first came to public notice as head of security for his father, who was president until his assassination in 2004.

Yesterday he said his appointment was "an enormous responsibility before the Almighty", vowing to "pursue a policy aimed at accelerating the development of the economy and the social sphere".

Analysts say the Kremlin had little choice but to throw in its lot with Mr Kadyrov because of his militia's ability to wipe out separatist rebels. But many fear he has carved out such autonomy that Chechnya could tip back into crisis. "Today Kadyrov is responsible to only one person: Putin," said Vyacheslav Ismailov of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper. "When Putin's no longer around who knows what will happen? Kadyrov has built up a huge power base of weapons and fighters. And his men answer only to him."

Backstory

As a teenager, Ramzan Kadyrov joined his father Akhmed and other rebels in the first Chechen war in the mid-1990s, fighting for independence from Russia. Later, when his father sided with the Kremlin to become president of Chechnya, Ramzan became head of security, leading the notorious Kadyrovtsy militia. When Akhmed Kadyrov was assassinated in 2004, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, invited Ramzan for a televised meeting, where the young man cried. This signalled the Kremlin's backing. Kadyrov was made prime minister of Chechnya and replaced President Alu Alkhanov on Thursday.